Echoing Screams
by FieryPhoenixGirl119
Summary: Young Sasuke/Itachi story. When Itachi is forced into the massacre, he makes the life-altering and risky decision to hide and save Sasuke from his eminent death. But can he juggle the secret of Sasuke and his duties in the Akatsuki? BACK-IN-PROGRESS
1. Chapter 1

**[A/N]: **I am doing yet another young Sasuke/Itachi story seeing that my previous one was such a success, now remember everybody I am very busy juggling boht 12th grade work and college, but I'll make you all a deal, the more reviews and PM's I receive, the sooner the next chapter will come out. I hope you all enjoy it and that it will be as, if not more, successful that my last one, "_Tear Stained Scars."_

Please Leave Reviews and Enjoy ^^

_Somewhere deep within the Land of Fire, there was a well off ninja village. As the morning sun and the evening moon were greeting each other in the blue starry sky above them, two of these said ninja were conversing atop a stone ledge, far away from the eyes and ears of Kohona. _

Looking out over the expanse of the forest and river from where he stood, Itachi Uchiha, dressed in his ANBU uniform and equipped with his katana stood less than a foot from the edge as his mentor and elder stood nearby. The air was heavy as their conversation had hit a low moral point for that of the officer. Madara proposed that he do the unthinkable and murder all of his clan, down to the last unborn child. If he accepted, the older renegade Uchiha would assist him, if not, then his own life would be claimed by the nin's powerful techiniques. Both men knew this, but atleast Madara was giving him a chance to ponder his thoughts before making the lethal decision.

To kill his clan…..to spill the blood of those he has known for his entire life…..this was murder. What was a saving grace for him would mean a death sentence for them and vice versa. Before his eyes he saw all of those whom he called friends. Though they were few in number, they did matter deeply to him.

Then there were the innocents to think about……those young children who look up to him as if he were some sort of superior being or even a hero. Everytime he would return from a mission they would crowd around him, asking him many silly and frivilous questions. Of course he always took it with a smile as they greatly hampered him on the way home. Because of him they all wanted to grow up to be elite ninja, warriors for the village hidden in the leaves.

That is when a peircing pang hit him in the chest. Sasuke, his little buddy, his otouto. The child wanted nothing more than to be noticed, to be accepted….to be cared for. During their training exercises at first he admitted he would get quite annoyed with his foolish little brother. But over time he had grown quite fond of him. He saw the potential inside of the kid that no one else cared to bother searching for. He knew he had taken the spotlight away from Sasuke, he was the cause of the little one's life and wellbeing being put on the back burner of priorities in the household.

No…..he could not….especially not to him…….he deserved better than to have his young life snuffed out at such a young and tender age. But if he refused Madara's proposition…..what would happen to Sasuke…..would he finally get the attention from his parents that he craved and needed so badly? Or would he continue to be ignored and grow into a resentful but powerful young man? If he did not commit genocide on his family now…..his harmless little otouto might do it later.

"I accept." Those were the only words he could mutter with his heavy mind. "A very wise choice my student. Tomorrow, when the darkness comes, I will meet you here, and Itachi-" he stood right behind him then, the prodigy could feel his hot breath on his neck, the moisture was sticking to the strands of his silk-like hair. "Come armed and ready for a bloodbath." With a gust of wind the cruel old man was gone. For now.

Drawing out a deep, long sigh from his lips, Itachi looked into the direction of the disappearing moon. Outlined in it were the rooftops of his homevillage. He knew that at this moment the little boy that troubled his mind so effortlessly was sleeping soundly on his mat. Completely oblivious that he would not be alive by this time in a matter of mere hours, or atleast if Madara had anything to do with it.

Silently Itachi slipped into Sasuke's room, sliding the door closed behind him he pushed his white and red animal mask to the side of his head before kneeling down beside the sleeping child. The thought of this little one's blood being spilled…..either by his own sword or that of his newfound sensei's made him sick to his stomach and pained in his heart. Closing his eyes, he stayed as still as a statue for several moments as the gears in his mind worked at double capacity. Suddenly sharinghan-laden eyes popped open, no, he would go through with the massacre with the masked ones' help; but Sasuke shall be spared……..one way or another.

The red orbs of his eyes faded away back into their natural black iris' as the elder of the brothers gave the younger one a slight shake, his hand resting on his arm the childs large, dark eyes opened up slowly to look up at him to see who was disturbing his rest. 'N-Nii-sama?" his tired little voice croacked as his fist came up to rub the sleep out of his eyes and he leaned up. Finally abit more awake he wrapped his short arms around his big brothers' neck, Itachi returned the embrace.

"I missed you so much big brother." His voice was almost a cry as he rest his head on the officers' shoulder as he felt himself being lifted up as Itachi stood. "I missed you too otouto." With that he turned and left the room, Sasuke clinging to his waist and side as he took him to the clan gardens. They did this everytime he came home from a long mission, he knew that the raven-haired boy missed him so much every time he was gone, so whenever he returned he would sacrifice his own rest to spend time with his foolish little otouto.


	2. Chapter 2

Itachi playfully jerked his little brother up by his arm, swinging him over and letting go, watching him land into the clan bathing house pool. After practicing with and teaching him until the sun was at its zenith, both boys were covered in dirt, sweat, and even some blood from a throwing star being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sitting at the end of the pool the prodigy dipped his legs into the steaming water as Sasuke came gurgling to the surface, laughing and giggling wildly. He was even able to tease a small smile off of Itachi's lips as he watched his otouto come swimming up to him.

"Aniki! You got water up my nose…" he whined with a smile as he tried to shake the water out. "It is your own fault for not holding your breath" he teased back, reaching down to splash water onto the child. Using his wrists he pushed himself into the water, submerging himself completely under the water to make sure he was sufficiently wet for the soaps to work.

"Nii-san, how long are you gonna be home this time?" Sasuke held his washcloth in his hand as he scrubbed on his heavily dirty arm. "I do not know otouto" He sighed at the thought, he would never go on another mission for Kohona again, this much he knew for sure. Turning his little brother around he took the cloth from him and helped him scrub his back where he was having trouble reaching.

"Are you going to be gone for a long time again?" He looked up over his shoulder, wet raven hair sticking to his pale forehead. "I said I don't know, stop asking such foolish questions." Giving him a teasing shove he dunked his younger kin under the surface of the water to wash off his suds.

Coming back up, the big-eyed boy snorted out more water out of his nose, becoming tired of the discomfort coming from the water going up his sinuses. "Can I stay home from the academy today Aniki?" He swam around the deep pool abit, enjoying the clean feeling. "Its not for me to decide, and what did I say about asking those questions?" he reprimanded him slightly, taking his own cloth up.

"Okay big brother…." He pulled himself up on the shallow end of the pool, waiting for Itachi to finish up so they could head home and maybe, if the ANBU officer was in an especially good mood, they would pick up lunch from one of the shops on the way.

[X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X]

"Itachi, you should be resting, not wasting your time with your brother." That was their only greeting they received from their disgruntled father. Mikoto, on the other hand, met them with hugs, kisses, and of course the best show of love a mother can give, a nice, hot dinner on the table.

"Oh my boys, you are both growing up to be such fine young men!" she smiled widely, one of her hands resting on the side of Itachi's head, the other resting on top of her baby Sasuke's. "I'm sure you are right about that when it comes to otouto." The elite ninja walked past his mother to let her tend to her youngest childs' cut on his hand. Fugaku could be heard giving a grunt as he sipped his green tea.

"You have duties and responisibilited my son. What if your fellow officers and superiors found out how you were throwing away your time? It would be a disgrace." The old man sneered as he set the hot mug down. "Leave it alone father, I have no shame in training Sasuke, besides, someone has to do it, seeing you wont." He ended his statement with a slight bit of attitude, earning a short-lived glare from the head of the Uchiha clan.

"And- and then me and Aniki went to the forest and he hit ALL of the targets!" he chattered loudly as he excitedly told his mother of what he and Itachi had been doing all day as he was sitting on the counter, his hand spread out facing up in his mothers' larger, aged hands. "Really now? Maybe one day he'll teach you how to do that too…." She was clearly paying more attention to his barely minor wound than to him, but of course what else are mothers for?

Wrapping his hand in a white bandage she sealed it with a kiss before letting him hop down on his own, he ran up to the table, sitting down to eat right as his elder brother was rising to his feet. "I'm going to go to bed." He handed his dirty bowl to his mother before turning for the exit that led to the bedrooms. "But what about the ANBU? You have been home from your mission all day you SHOULD be reporting for duty." Father objected, but it did not even make Itachi hesitate as he continued out of the dining room and kitchen.

"I said I am tired, I will report to them in the morning." He lied as he left to go rest. Sasuke was slurping his soup after his Aniki left. Using his chopstick he picked out a chunk of meat and began to eat happily, today had been the perfect day all around. Or so he thought…….

"This is all your fault…." His fathers deep voice was in a growl. "If not for you he would be willing to make his responsibilities his top priority, not wasting his time with a whelp like you." "B-but….he's helping me.." the young boy's voice was faltering and choking on his words, he always froze up whenever he was being reprimanded. "You are no longer allowed to steal your brothers' time with your pointless playing around, understood?" he ordered in a deadly tone, eyes staring straight down on his youngest son.

"B-but-" He did not get any farther than that when he was knocked back, his cheek turning red from where his own father had just backhanded him. "No buts! Now go to bed, immediately!" Sasuke ran out of the room to his safe haven, Itachi having heard everything, even the assault on his little otouto.

Suddenly…..the thought of doing away with this man…..seemed so much less immoral in his mind.

[X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X]

The out-of-uniformed captain slid the paper door open to the room given to his dearest brother. The raven-haired Uchiha was curled up under his covers, crying and whimpering quietly, the discipline having frightened, hurt, and embarrassed him deeply.

"Otouto…" he kneeled down, his hand encouraging Sasuke to roll over to face him. The mark on his face was dark red with soreness, a touch of brownish in the middle to show that a bruise was forming, and it would be a painful one indeed.

"Nii-nii-saaann" he began to cry. It hurt so much…..but all this crying…what would aniki think? "Come on otouto, shh, I know" he pulled the child up to his feet and walked beside him, keeping his hand lightly behind his head to guide him. Taking him outside they went out back to the small pond with several herbal plants surrounding it. The full moon provided more than enough light to let Itachi see what the damage was clearly and to see what he was doing.

Sorting through the medicinal plants, he picked out a thick stalk and snapped it off its base. Breaking it in half he rubbed the exposed insides on the tips of his fingers, rubbing it on the darkening spot on his brothers' cheek. Hopefully this would take out the sting and help it to heal faster. The young child was still whimpering as silent tears fell down his face. "T-thank you a-aniki…" he muttered between sobs.

"Don't mention it" He opened his arms up to the boy who readily climbed into his arms. He let him stay with him until the crying ceased, standing with him he took him back insidek, letting him stay with him for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay in an update guys, but I had relatives come over plus school and all that jazz. Remember my rule: the more reviews you all leave the sooner the next chapter will be up, come on I see how many of you are sticking around to read this and its very dissapointing to see how few of you are reviewing. Whatever just enjoy and REVIEW.

Itachi rested with Sasuke beneath his arm. He had not been able to sleep at all that night, his mind was full of the day to come. He was to murder his entire family with the assistance of a sensei he was not even supposed to know existed much less be a student of. But most importantly, he was to somehow save his little brothers' life. He did not care what it would cost him to do it, but there was no way in the abyss that he would going to allow a drop of his otouto's blood to be spilled, not by himself, not by father, and not by Madara.

Finally his body became too eager to move, too antsy to lay there any longer. It ws far before sun up, but they would have to rely on the natural lights of this world to light his way as he searched for a safe dwellingplace for his little brother. Picking the child up and holding him in his arm he strapped his weapon to his back with one hand. His ANBU uniform would get him past most of the village patrols and security without and delays, though why he had a child with him would cause concern and make questions to be asked.

Deciding he would run far and long to avoid any of these distractions, the prodigy silently left the safety and security of their home, the raven-haired child resting soundly in his arms. The cold morning air hammered into his body. He had to move at top speed, but thankfully his experience allowed his kid brother to continue to rest without being rudely awakened. Like a black flash he sped through the village gated, the wind from the momentum of his speed nearly blew out the lit torches on either side of the opening in the wall. The tired gate watchmen did not even notice his passing through and went on about their duties.

Knowing full and well the times of the patrols, those were easy to bypass, but he would not let his guard down. Not for a single moment. The trees were but brown and green blurs as they passed by. Soon they would be out of Kohona territory altogther. Finally Itachi reached a point at which he no longer had to sprint, his running turned into a walk as he looked around. He did not have much time.

Time was running out, with every passing moment he needed to find somewhere secure to keep Sasuke and return to Kohona. Not only did he need to keep this a secret from the Uchiha's, but also from Madara. If his sensei knew that he was purposefully sparing the life of a fellow clanmember….they would both be painfully ended.

Seeing that he had no other choice, he found a rather large cave. It was deep, dark, and moisture was everywhere, but it would have to do. For now atleast. Walking in he set Sasuke down, waking him up gently as he took of his cloak and wrapped it around the boy's shoulders. "Otouto, wake up"

Sleepily the child opened his black little eyes, one of them partly closed because of the swelling on his face from his fathers' assault the night before. "A-aniki? W-what's going on? Where are we" the tired child looked around as he rubbed the sleep out of his large eyes. "That is not important right now Sasuke, now I need you to stay here and DON'T leave this cave, do you understand me?" His tone was dead serious, this woke the raven haired boy up quite quickly as Itachi never took that tone with him unless it was extremely important. "Y-yes Nii-sama…." He held onto his brothers cloak as the man stood up and began to walk away.

"You leaving me here?!" he cried in his childlike voice, wanting to go after him, but his legs would not let him for fear of what might happen if he disobeyed his brothers' orders. "I'll be back later Sasuke I promise, now please…..just stay here." He left the cave, setting exploding tags around it strategically to ward off any unwelcome visitors, and should Sasuke unfortunately find one of these traps, then that would be a fit punishment for disobeying him now wouldn't it.

The young Uchiha watched from the mouth of the cave as his brother lept away, leaving him all alone in this strange and fearsome place. He choked back his tears, for fear that something or someone might see him show that deadly weakness.

Itachi returned back to the village, feeding his parents the lie that he had taken his otouto to the academy and had gotten him a hot breakfast on the way there. Mikoto was pleased to hear this, unlike his father who was already concocting a punishment for his youngest heir for not staying out of his elder brothers' time as he had ordered him to.

He went on his usual duties of a captain, writing scrolls, drawing out plans, holding the occasional meeting. Though deep down he felt so ill to his stomach, he had never felt so unsure and unsteady in all of his life. What if he and Madara were unsuccessful…..what if he had been followed and now Sasuke was in the hands of some official or worse being brought back to Kohona…..what if someone found out….what if Madara himself were to find out about his hidden little brother…..no…he had to shove these thoughts out of his mind. What happens will happen, he was only a tool in this dire plot to overthrow and extuingish the entire family line.

Finally the sun was beginning to set. Itachi placed his scrolls and inkbrushes into their proper spot, making his desk spotless. Not that it mattered, he would not be returning to this office, not ever, and chances are that no one was ever going too after tonigts events had taken place.

He left the room for the last time and walked out toward the forest, off to meet his evil sensei.

Itachi sat on the edge of the rock, his legs dangling off of the edge. A cloth in his hand wiped off crimson blood from his katana. Looking up at the moon, he could only wish he could go and check on his little brother, but Madara had ordered him to wait here to accept his new uniform, his new set of missions, and a new partner.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Sasuke's stomach growled furiously as he sat on the edge of a rock within the cave. He had found a small pool of water sometime during the day an had decided to stay near it incase he became thirsty. But now it was dark out. All he could see was the outside as the moon partially lit up the world. He hugged his brothers' cape around him, he was terrified, hungry, and wanted his aniki……

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

He slid the ring onto his finger and the hat on his head, his body is covered all over. Sliding the kunais and throwing stars into special places within his red and black coat, he was ready to begin his duties as a member of the Akatsuki. Turning around he walked out to join his new partner that was to mentor him in the ways of their evil organization.

Walking alongside him they made it to the nearest town and paid for rooms for the night. "We leave before sunrise Uchiha, don't make me come wake you up" the white-skinned man hissed as they walked down the hall to their assigned rooms. "Wouldn't dream of it Orochimaru" he entered the room, locking the door and going straight for the window, leaping out he began to run as fast as his feet would take him to go and check on his otouto.


	4. Chapter 4

[A/N: Sorry for the delay, I hope it is worth the way, enjoy, and for the love of samehada REVIEW PEOPLE IT AINT THAT HARD, thank you ! ^^ ]

Itachi walked into the cave, his hand against the wall as his shadow was cast into the cavern from the bright moon that stood in the sky behind him. He found Sasuke curled up on the rocks next to the pool of water that was dripping from the stalactites on the ceiling. The cloak wrapped tightly around him from this morning, the younger Uchiha slept without peace as he was hungry, scared, and uncomfortable. Sitting down on a higher rock next to his little brother's sleeping form, the prodigy's hand came down and took the smaller hand into his larger soft one. Sasuke's palm in his hand, his thumb began to rub the back of it, slowly and gently pulling his otouto out of his slumbers.

"N-nii-sama?." Tired, Dark eyes squinted open as they strained to see around himself. What was this place…why was he here…why was he not at him in his nice, comfortable bed? Oh yeah, that's right, aniki brought him out here, but why?

"Shh Sasuke…" Itachi calmed him down, gingerly pulling the child up into his lap. Curling up into his big brothers' chest, he clung to his netted shirt as he found himself being wrapped around by his nii-san's new, heavy, dark cloak. "Aniki…w-why am I here?....when are we going home…" the last part had a slight whine to it. Feeling more secure and warm in his brothers' embrace, he felt better about asking such questions.

"We are not going home otouto." The raven-haired child felt his aniki's arms wrap around his back, holding him close to him, preparing himself for the painful questions which were bound to come. "N-not going back? But why?!" He tried to push himself away, wanting to see his brother's eyes, wanting to see if he was joking with him, but alas he was surrounded by the dark but warm material of the cloak.

"Shh otouto, calm down, you're behaving foolishly" his scolding made Sasuke instantly straighten up and stop struggling, he never wanted to look foolish in front of nii-san. "Sasuke, listen to me…." He began with his speech to his little brother….how to explain this to him…that he would live like this for probably the rest of his life. He knew he had his attention, all he could do was hold him tighter, try and make him feel safe and secure while he broke the news.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Sitting on the barstool at the small food booth in town, Itachi had taken off his cloak and brought Sasuke into town to end the rumbling in his young stomach. The child was less than enthusiastic about eating, but he was not going to push him to eat. He knew that the pain that kid must be feeling…having suddenly lost his family....lost everything….it was going to be hard. Heck, it took at least an half an hour until he finally ran out of tears back at the cave. Itachi did not, my any means, want his little brother to live in that dark, dank, dangerous cave. But until he did a few missions for this newfound organization and earned some money of his own, there was nothing he could do about it.

His hand came up to support the small back of his little brother. All the child would do is stare into his full bowl of rice and meat. He had not even touched the rice-balls, which were the boy's usual favorite. Sasuke hung his head down, fighting back tears. Everything hurt, inside and outside; he felt trapped within his own body. Paying the tab, Itachi stood to leave, seeing that this was getting nowhere with his otouto. Pulling him off of the wooden tall chair from behind and holding him to his chest he left the station. There was hardly a soul out that night, even at that, the brothers were the only ones that weren't drunk with strong spirits.

Tired and frustrated with the current situation, the elder brother carried the younger back out of the town gates back to that god forsaken cave. It was the only option they had right now. Hidden in the shadows of the neighboring roofs, a white-skinned demon man sat perched on the roof. He might as well as of have been invisible to the world as with his stealth and stillness, even the animals of the night mistook him for a part of the structure. Snakelike eyes watched the brothers walk outside of the town borders, between the pillars of stone that were mounted with weathered and broken statues of exotic lions.

Well well well, it would seem that the new recruit for the Akatsuki had only been a member for a matter of hours, and had already betrayed the trust of not only Lord Madara but the others as well. No matter…Orochimaru had had his eyes on Itachi, lusting after that coveted kekkai genkai. Attacking the prodigy outright would be dangerous for himself, probably resulting in someone's death, whether it be his, the Uchiha's, or innocent bystanders………..But now…..seeing that the entire Uchiha clan bloodline was not quite extinct, that the burden of carrying on the family blood did not rest soley on Itachi's shoulders…….foolish boy…..he could so easily just snatch up the little one….gain his power….and dispose of what's left of his victim afterwards….and should his fellow organization member find out and confront him about him….surely he could hold his disobedience over his head to Madara…..

With a gust of leaf-filled wind, he disappeared, retreating back into the room of the inn. He would bide his time, wait until his partner was not expecting, and like the snake he was, when the brothers' thought all would be safe and secure, he would strike, and take what he wanted.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

"Nii-sama, please….don't leave me!" Sasuke was clinging to his brother for dear life. Itachi needed to get back to Orochimaru and hopefully get some sleep before they left for their mission that day. If anyone found out about his little brother still being alive and well……it would be catastrophic.

"Let go otouto…I don't know when I will be back but you HAVE to let me go NOW." He finally pried his little brother's fingers out of his shirt. Setting him down on a rock, he wrapped the child up in his old cloak once more. Wiping the child's tears off with his hand he rest his forehead on his. Looking into the dark red and black eyes, Sasuke found his eyelids becoming heavy as he was being seduced into sleep by the power of the sharinghan.

"I'm sorry kid…..I'll come back…as soon as I can, I promise…" those were the last fading words the raven-haired child heard as he slowly leaned back, drifting off into a deep but induced sleep. He hated having to do that to his otouto, but he had no choice, besides, maybe his sleeping would help the time to pass by…….Standing up he turned and left his little brother all alone once more.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Much to Sasuke's dismay he awoke all alone once more the next morning…….he was gone again. His first thought was to just sit and wait……but …..as children are….he began to become bored….and became curious about what was outside this cave. Walking to the mouth of the shelter, he rested one hand against the stone wall….the other held the cloak tightly at the throat around his shoulders as he peered out at the outside world….

Other than a small clearing of grass and dirt…there were trees all around. The sky was blue with fluffy white clouds…the warm sun touched his pale skin, it had never felt so good to him. Itachi told him to stay here….but he wanted so badly to leave the security of this place to explore….to somehow amuse himself…..but…aniki…..

He stepped out slowly…the sun burning his eyes for a moment……

X..x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Silent worries filled the elder of the Uchiha brothers. They had received a mission that would take him away for several days….how would Sasuke survive without him? Oh why had he done this at all….he regretted ever meeting Madara in the first place now…..he hated that man for what he was putting his otouto through right now.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Sasuke sat out in the sun as no beasts or men were there to disturb him. He did not know about the traps and exploding tags that Itachi had placed to defend him, but no matter, the young boy was just grateful to be out of that cold, dank cave. Black orbs looked around at his surroundings. Trees everywhere, above their tops one could see mountain ranges and clouds above…..but nothing too special…

He looked behind himself up to the sky. The cave he had been housed in was at the base of a very tall and prestigious rocky hill. Wait….there was something up there……something the shone in the sun….what was it….? Walking up to the side of the mouth of the cave he climbed up on the first rock and slowly began to reach for the next one up in order to climb to the top.

The next one would be tough, as it was abit taller than he was even when he stood on his toes. Grabbing a hold of what he could with his two small hands, he tried to pull himself up onto the warm solid mass, only to feel himself falling before everything went black. When he awoke he was face-up in the sand. Apparently he had fallen, and even from that short distance he managed to hit his head.

The back of his skull was throbbing so hard…he reached his hand back there and ran it through his hair….other than sweat from laying there for a better part of the afternoon, he was alright. Standing on wobbly legs he stepped backwards and looked up….whatever he had seen before, the shining object….he could no longer see it!.....what had he just risked his life too try and find? Feeling a great thirst, the young Uchiha stepped back into the safety of the cave, sitting next to pool of water that had dripped from the ceiling.

Cupping his hand he scooped up the clear liquid and began to drink and rehydrate himself, even pouring some on the back of his neck as he still felt rather heat-exhausted.

He was so hungry….where was Itachi?


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you to the few of you who actually bothered to review, remember, the more reviews I get, the more incentive I will have to writing the next chapter!

Sasuke looked outside the cave as he held himself around his shoulders. It was raining so hard…the puddles on the ground outside were slowly becoming bigger. He had not seen Itachi in three days….his stomach hurt and made so many strange noises…..

He turned around and went back into the dank cave, the sounds of the rain echoing so loudly throughout the structure….sitting on a rock he rubbed his arms….anything to warm up….

That is when a new noise came to his ears…..it was the most terrifying sound he had ever heard in his short life…looking up, he saw what had been growling so menacingly at him, it was a mountain cat….it looked cold, wet, and hungry…..

One paw stepped in from the rain….then another…..water dripping from its sleek black fur to the stone floor….Sasuke backed up against the wall….how could he get past this….sickeningly yellow slit eyes looked to him…and took another step closer.

The young Uchiha bolted off of his perch on the rock and ran as fast as he possibly could past the beast, out of the safety of the somewhat dry cave into the downpour outside. Claws scraped against rock as she turned to dash after him. He ran into the thick forest, he could feel the breath of that bloodthirsty creature on his neck in his mind.

His lungs and legs hurt, this was the most he had moved in what seemed like an eternity. Trees and bushes became brown and green blurs as his throat ached and step faltered. The only reason that the feline had not devoured him yet was that like a cat and mouse, she was toying with him before she came in for the kill.

In a burst of pain, the small boy's foot caught a root that curved out of the ground, his ankle twisting and snapping, he fell to the ground, his howls of agony drowned out by the thunder and lightning that sang across the sky. The beast began to pace around him in a daunting circle. Its tongue grazed across its lips as it looked forward to its fleshy, warm upcoming meal.

He began to cry quietly, whimpering…..Itachi….Nii-sama…..aniki where are you?!

Suddenly dirt went flying as an arrow hit the ground inches away from the black cat. It hissed and stepped back, another arrow barely missed its head. Having enough, the attacker turned and ran, two more arrows following it into the underbrush.

Sasuke was in too much pain to care whom had come to his rescue….hands picked him up off of the wet ground and buried him under the safety of a waterproof cloak.

Whoever it was that had saved him from becoming some wild thing's dinner had taken him to a nearby village. Though he could not remember when, he had a distinct memory that some sort of root or herb was forced into his mouth and he was made to chew and swallow it…..the pain slowly began to subside….

He was in some sort of bathing house, the hot steam felt so good against his clammy, icy skin.

Akira could not believe what had happened over the course of the day. First he goes hunting, hoping to bring back a wild pig or a deer. He found a twelve-point buck and began to give chase to it when he came across a menacing panther circling something small on the ground. At first he was going to just leave it, thinking it to be an animal of some sort, he was now thankful that he had taken a second glance and saw that it was a child.

Though what puzzled him was that this child was most definitely not from this village, or even this area. Perhaps his parents are travelers and he became separated from them? No matter, what mattered now was tending to his broken limb and seeing to it that the chill from the rain had not made him ill.

It seemed that the roots had taken effect and were calming him down. He slowly removed the child's soaked shirt and then his sandals. Wincing as he did, that was a nasty break, there was a bone pressing against his skin from the inside….this would be both tricky and painful.

Taking the limb into his hand, he began to wash it with the water from the pool and cleaned it gently. Afterwards he began to set it into a splint and secured it in a cloth bind. Sasuke was finally so sedated that he felt nothing, but was able to stay awake and watch this stranger take care of him through half-lidded eyes.

He decided that there was nothing to do but take him back to his home and care for him there until they could find his family, but seeing how scrawny and skinny that he was, perhaps his parents had met the same fate that he had come so close to only an hour or so ago.

Maybe the Leader of the village would be able to give wise counsel on the matter. Finishing the splint, he cleaned everything up and wrapped the boy in a warm blanket to keep him warm. The youngest Uchiha left in the world had come to the conclusion in his mind that though he did not know where he was or who this man was, he was safe…….the sedative began to take over as his eyes became too heavy to bear. Finally they closed and he drifted off into a herb-seduced sleep.

Thankfully Akira had been able to obtain clothing that would fit the child from his sister who had four young boys of her own to care for. She was in the kitchen making a hearty soup for the poor little one; ever since Akira came to her and told her of the situation, she had been adamant that she would help despite her own responsibilities to her sons.

Though the herbs had worn off, he had woken up in the arms of the man that had saved him from certain death. But being in a new place around new people, he was over come with shyness and remained silent despite their attempts to talk to him or to ask him questions.

"Just give him time Akira." She continued to stir the thick brew, sprinkling a handful of herbs into it. When your family was the village medicine providers for the past eight generations, you knew a thing or two about what each different kind does or how it tastes, and one would use this knowledge on a nearly daily basis in your everyday life.

Taking a taste she deemed it ready and dipped him a bowl full of the vegetable-laden broth with ramen for flavor. She put it in front of him with a pair of wooden chopsticks, giving him an affectionate pat on the head as he pulled his arms out of the warm blanket that he was still wrapped in. Ravenous for anything to eat, he nearly attacked the food set before him. Nothing had ever tasted so good before in his life!

"Wolfish little thing aren't you?" She smiled as she prepared a bowl for her brother. "I'll be back in awhile, I need to go prepare a lunch for the boys before they tear my kitchen apart, see you in abit Akira." Replacing the lid on the pot and setting it before her only sibling, she untied her apron and hung it up before leaving.

Within a short while he had polished away almost three entire bowls of the unique ramen, now he laid back with a content look on his face…he was warm, full, and despite Itachi not being there, he felt rather secure…..what a drastic change to his life over the past hellish week.

"Alright you, before this can go any further, we're going to need some answers alright?" The brunette archer set the boy up on the table, being sure to be careful of his injured limb. The raven-haired boy nodded his head, he doubted that these people would hurt him, and maybe if he complied they would continue to treat him well.

"Good…now for firsts, I am Horan Akira, a humble archer and defender of Amegakure, what is your name?"

"U-Uchiha Sasuke" he stuttered out, he had never heard of this village before….Akira's eyes widened before he looked away to think…..Uchiha? The news of the massacre had spread like wildfire across the Shinobi Nations….if this child was an Uchiha….he might be one of the last, if not THE last one……Master Pein would surely want to know about this……

But of course that would have to wait, Master Pein and Lady Konan had left only a few days ago, and they had been known to stay away for weeks at a time. He would care for the child as if he were his own until the village leaders returned…..then what happened would be up to them…..


	6. Chapter 6

{A/n: Alright I might look abit foolish now for canceling this story and then reopening it soon after, but the outpour of support that demanded that I did not end this was overwhelming. Yes Exp's review hurt, even though I am nearly sure that he [or she] meant no harm but only had good intentions. And though I do not have any plans of rewriting the story, I do plan on watching my Japanese title and word usage. Honestly I only put words there because I _think_ I know what they mean and need to put something there that the readers can relate with. So to me it does not matter if Sasuke would never address his brother as nii-sama, because in my mind, in the setting of this story, Sasuke was always considered to be below his brother and it is my understanding that nii-sama translates into 'most honorable older brother' I might be wrong but I plan on getting it checked out. Though I am sure that 90% of you don't give a care whether or not the Japanese is correct, I suppose it could not hurt to try abit harder that I can make this story more appealing to those of you who do happen to care. I am sorry that I have not pushed harder to have a better 'execution' of the plot (whatever that means, when he said that my mind went fuzzy like a tv screen, I guess they were wanting something abit more intense or maybe something better, who knows) Just remember that I do not have any problem with anyone suggesting where they think this story should go or giving suggestions of what I should do next in this story [because writer's block happens to me a lot and I worry that sometimes I might turn the story into an undesirable and pointless direction] those are always welcome, but I do not appreciate flames and for every 'flame' I receive, the higher the chance that the story will be ended because I'm weird like that. I suppose that after writing fanfics for four years, when you get your first flame, it hits home kinda hard (which might sound strange because it was not a flame, but I consider any attempt to correct me a direct attack, I know it sounds immature but its just how I am and I apologize) now I am updating quickly for 'A SPECIAL PERSON,' and I would like to thank him/her for their long review. Now for all of you who did not fall asleep during that author's note, I commend you and bid you to enjoy the chapter, and please review, no flamers.

Itachi wiped off the blood from his blade with a dark cloth. The assassination had been carried out perfectly and without any flaw. Now it was time to return to the village to collect their pay and receive their next orders. But the elder brother's conscious was not paying any mind to such things. All he could think of was his helpless, defenseless little brother. He had saved him from eminent death, only to leave him in the wilds of the forest? What kind of guardian, protector, aniki was he?! All he could hope for was that Orochimaru would go into his usual solitude when they returned, giving him the chance to get away and go tend to Sasuke.

Sliding the sword back into its sheath, the prodigy stood and pulled his straw hat onto his head, the paper streamers covering his eyes and features. It was a long walk back to the village, and he could do nothing but pray that his snake-like partner was in the mood to move fast and not take the scenic route.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Sasuke attempted to stand on his own, his hands supporting himself on the edge of the counter, he tried to pull himself to his feet. This only made him find himself whimpering and favoring the injured leg until he could slowly move back into his bed. Akira had left to perform his duties on the wall, thus leaving his little guest behind. Though the young Uchiha did not mind one bit, it gave him a chance to catch his bearings on his own. So far all he could tell was that this was a quiet town, not owning much of the hustle and bustle of the home he was used to.

He sat up on the mattress and looked out of the open wall. Akira's home was perched on the side of a very high hill, giving him a vantage point incase his services as an archer should be needed immediately to protect Amegakure from invaders. The wall could be closed off by wooden doors should the need come, but for now it was open to the wrap-around veranda that overlooked the village. Even from here Sasuke could see the walls on the opposite side of this place.

Pulling himself across the floor, he went to the edge where the ornate wooden railing kept him from falling to his death over the steep edge. Looking out, he saw that this was not the only abode that was painstakingly built into these rocky hills. He assumed correctly that these houses were assigned to the defenders of the village. Tired young eyes looked out…..a peaceful wind ruffled his messy jetblack hair. The only thing he could ask for right now was his elder brother…the one who was supposed to be caring for him as the friendly stranger was doing in his place.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

"Itachi-kun, you seem to be troubled….what is on your mind." The white-skinned villain's eyes shifted to his left as he spoke. He was going to find out what his partner's secret was, one way or another. Did he want to know out of his own curiosity? No. But in his many many years of life, he did know one thing for sure: secrets, as deep and dark as they can be, lead to weaknesses. And a weakness in this excellent example of a prime Uchiha heir to the bloodline kekkai genkai, that one vulnerable spot that would bring the dragon down, was all he needed. For all the snake-man wanted was power, and the sharinghan…that was a prized power….and like a jealous child….he desired after it. He yearned for it until it had become an obsession.

And now that the Uchiha's number were dwindled down to practical extinction, Itachi would have to be subdued and taken over, despite the high chance that Orochimaru might lose his life in the process, and along with that, all the knowledge and power he had gleaned from the suffering of others during his lifetime.

Itachi did not answer his partner's question. For starter's, he barely heard anything other than the damning voices in his head, the ones that screamed at him that he would come back to find that there was one less Uchiha in the world. Another point was that he did not have enough respect for nor did he care for the man that walked alongside him. Only the closest of friends had ever called him '-san' in his life, and that one person was now dead by his own hand. Should this arrogant and haughty nin ever called him by that title again, he would rip out that tongue –and by doing this find out how long that thing really is, possibly answering one of the greatest mysteries known to mankind- and hang him with it.

The very thought of this brought a rare grin to his hidden lips….though he never did answer the older man, he did listen to his rambling and his foolish attempts to get him to open up and let his guard down.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Tanya had returned –as promised- to check up on him, this time she brought her four sons with her. They were a rowdy, noisy group. But despite this, Sasuke found himself enjoying their company more than that of the children of his own clan, or even all of Kohona, for they did not judge him. In their eyes he was just another kid to play with, carefully of course because of his ankle, than and their mother swore to not give them dinner if they did him any harm.

The eldest was taller than –but not nearly as old as or as mature as- his aniki…..he was much more fun than most young adults, it seemed that having to care for his younger brothers had made him just as playful as they were. His name was Maro, as was constantly reminded to Sasuke by his younger siblings who were constantly asking him questions or begging him to play with them.

The others were only slightly older than he was, except for the youngest, was an infant being held in a sling next to his mother's chest. Never before had the raven-haired boy met such amiable and energetic family……finally they became involved in a playful game of chance –an adult would call it poker- in which they bet little trinkets that would eventually make their way back to their original owner.

Uchiha Sasuke found out two things that day. One, he had truly missed out one what it meant to have friends….or a real, normal family for that matter……Itachi atleast tried…but they were never like this…..his idea of fun with his nii-san was going out training with deadly weapons, to these kid, fun was rolling dice and playing cards…….he wished he could have the best of both worlds…..

And the second thing he learned: he should stay away from casinos…….

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Nightime had come, and the exhausted boys were strewn all over the floor of the guestroom in which Sasuke stayed. They had kept him company for the entire day, even eating dinner with him. Now Maro held the baby as his brothers slept in awkward positions around him, their mother chatting with Akira in the next room over hot tea.

There, in the box-like bed, laid an exhausted little Uchiha boy, a slight snore accompanying the smile on his lips. This had by far, been one of the best days of his life…..

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Orochimaru sensed Itachi's chakra signature fade away as he had left the room. What were you up to boy? Using his superb senses he could tell which direction he was going…..the forest….how delightful……

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

The dark-haired young man fell to his knees…..his little brother….his charge….his otouto….was gone…..and all that was left behind was the prints of a large forest beast, still imprinted on the floor of the cave……………


	7. Chapter 7

Itachi could not bring himself to eat, sleep, or care. Sasuke was the last thing he had. The last thing to love and be loved by, the last thing to remind him of his life, his good life……….the one he missed so much. He saw his otouto in everything, seeing children running by outside as he sat in the tavern next to an open hole in the wall used as a window. These children were smiling, happy, and playful; his little brother used to be like that…..but he ruined him. It was his doing that stripped Sasuke of the safety and security he had known all his life. It was his doing that left him cold, hungry, and lonely in a cave in the middle of some god-forsaken forest. And it was his doing, by not being there for him, that had his precious sibling eaten by some wild beast. And for this, he could not forgive himself.

He desired for, yearned for, lusted after death…..surely being tortured by demons or some sort of suffering would be better than knowing that his entire family, all that he cared for, he had bloodily murdered with his hand. Sasuke had been the only reason he went on. Now his hand rested on the shorter blade that was strapped to his side. It was a hidden weapon incase his abilities should fail him and physical force was needed to deal with a target, though this was highly unlikely.

He had it decided in his mind that despite his being a ninja and not one of the 'noble' samurai, he would practice one of their more gory rituals….self-disembowelment. It was a painful, terrible way to go….but he, Uchiha Itachi…..he deserved worse. The black-haired prodigy brought the edge of a glass to his lips, lightly sipping the sake inside. Only two or three times before had he ever taken part in this foolish practice. Anytime before it was because he was tricked or pressured by his teammates to partake in their fun and merrymaking. Now he just wanted something….he wanted anything that would help dull the pain he felt in his heart.

Sadly, despite the empty keg due to a drinking spree, nothing could quell that incredible injury to his soul.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Sasuke awoke to the sounds of pots and pans knocking against each other in the kitchen. His room was void of the boys that he had befriended the day before. After the initial shock of waking up in a new place, he calmed down and looked around. The room was plain yet pleasant. Wooden floors, white walls with wooden borders, the doorway to the balcony was wide open, allowing a warm breeze to caress his pale white skin.

The smell of breakfast was in the air, the unique odor of rice and salty sea goods were a welcome scent. His leg was still bound in the splint, but he was determined to not be stuck in this room all day once more. Pulling himself up, he used the walls to support himself as he awkwardly placed on leg in front of the other. By the time he made it out of the room and somewhat down the hall, he was downright exhausted, but at least he was no longer alone now.

The younger boys were tackling and play wrestling with Maro, all of them against him was surely an unfair fight. But despite having his throat closed off by a rambunctious sibling, the blonde kept his smile and pulled another to the ground.

"Morning Sasuke, what are you doing out of bed hm?" Maro had finally noticed him leaning against the wall.

The older brother stood with a smaller brunette still clinging to his neck and made his way over to the young guest; picking him up with ease. "You are not supposed to be out of bed little one, what do you think you are up to?" He asked with a smile.

"I woke up and no one was around…." He answered shyly, hardly noticing the light reprimand. "I suppose that excuse will suffice, this time" He teased as he leaned back to made his younger kin let go of his grip around his neck that he may devote all of his strength to carrying their new little friend. Taking him to the dining area he sat him down at the table and served him a bowl. Sure Maro was one of the kids, but he also knew how to be a great caretaker, something he definitely did not get from his father.

"Maro, as usual you are watching the boys, make sure nothing happens to them or to our guest is that understood?" She was scrubbing out burnt rice from the bottom of a pot with vigorous force. The lone Uchiha in the room felt a pain come in his chest and behind his eyes, it reminded him of his own mother…..but she was gone now…..

"Yes Mother, don't worry I'll be sure and not let Sasuke hurt himself any farther." His hand ruffled the boys' raven black hair, making it even mussier than before.

Sasuke let out a sigh before smiling a little. Allwell, he would at least get to spend another day with his new friends…though he did miss his Aniki a lot….He ate his breakfast of rice and fish, though the food was new and the smell left much to be desired, it was food, it was warm, and it was actually kind of good…

Later on the boys locked up the small house on the mountainside and, with Sasuke riding on Maro's back, they went down exploring through the paths. Of course they had taken this route many other times in their lives, but they swore that there were the coolest things ever that only they knew about, or something to that effect.

Maro held a long dagger in one hand to cut through the brush and incase there was any trouble, he also held one of his uncles' old bows with several spare arrows in his belt. Sure he was not the best marksmen in the village but he was coming along nicely, he looked up to his uncle and wanted to be just like him….a childhood dream that had carried on throughout his life….something Sasuke would find out about…or at least would have….

The sun bore down on the ruthlessly, although they did consider themselves thankful that there was no signs of rain, because the usual hour-long hike up the hillside would take double or triple that time if you are fighting against the flood of water coming down.

All five boys were covered in dirt, even the baby had smudges on its tiny chubby cheeks by the time the group had gotten through the forest path. They had taken Sasuke to see a cave filled with a lightshow of worthless crystals and skiddish bats. This cave was much better than the one that his older brother had left him in, for starters it was much, much bigger, and not so cold and dark…..

Now they were heading into town to pick up groceries both for Uncle Akira and the mother of all but one of the group. It seemed that they all practically lived together in Akira's home, though the young Uchiha did not dare ask, he was taught manners early in life.

He had been with his mother shopping many, many times in his short lifespan, but these people had different selections and styles, not entirely different from Kohona but different enough all the same. Though his arms and body were tired from clinging onto Maro for the entire day, he settled with resting his head on the older boy's shoulder and watching what kind of foods they picked out, trying to make wild guesses at what would be for dinner.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Itachi and Orochimaru walked through the dirty streets of Amegakure, the sun be shielded by their full headgear. They were on another mission and had just left the inn where they were being given rooms, complements of Pein himself. The paled-face Akatsuki member looked ahead to the job infront of them, whilst the lonely Uchiha just hung his head, not honestly caring. It would all be over soon enough anyway……

Their unison walking was suddenly broken when a group of brats burst between them in a foot race. Two younger ones squealing and laughing as they carelessly held bags of groceries in their hands while an older one who should really know better followed them, another young one clinging to his back with a baby in a wrap hanging from his chest. Itachi barely noticed as he recovered and kept walking, it was unlike him to not know when someone was coming from behind, especially a group of heavy-footed kids at play. Orochimaru had heard them coming and saw them running by….his trained ninja eyes catching sight of something, or better-yet someone as they had went speeding by..….well….what do we have here……there was no mistake about it…there was another Uchiha in their midsts….


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you to the few of you who bothered to review. May I remind you all that like this story so much that the more reviews I receive, the quicker I feel like getting around to update. Please no flamers.**

Evil eyes looked out over the expanse of Amegakure. His spies and sources informed him of the current Uchiha situation. Did Uchiha Itachi honestly dare to defy Madaras' direct orders and spare the blood of a single member of his family? What he had done had taken a lot of guts and nerve, something that was required to be a successful member of the Akatsuki, but he had crossed a line. Should their leader hear of this, surely action would be taken against his fellow comrade. But he did not care about the elder one, it was the little Uchiha that sparked his interest.

A young boy with the potential to be one of the most powerful and deadly weapons of both Amegakure and the Akatsuki, if he got his hands on him and took him under his wing….he could raise and train him as his own, and perhaps even if the boy disappointed in his duties, there was always another body to add to his collection. But of course, these plans might be slashed if their leader found out. Madara obviously despised the Uchiha clan and counted them as worthless or in need of extermination. He had ordered the boy to be murdered before, it was nearly a definite fact that he could and would demand his young life to be ended at the end of a shiny steel blade once more.

The evening lights of the village came on light hundreds of fireflies in the distance. The sun was setting over the horizon, going to go and rest for the night. The shadow produced from the high collar of his cloak climbed up his face until the last traces of light disappeared for the night. Either way, he was going to be required to apprehend the young boy to be sure that no one else got to him first. There were many people equally and exceedingly cruel as Pein was, each and every one of them would slaughter for the chance to claim the small boy.

Looking to the east, he looked directly to the little light on the side of the high hill. That is where the man that had found the boy resided. His days there were numbered.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Orochimaru stepped out of the tavern, feeding Itachi the lie that he was out to look for some 'companionship'. Not that he expected the Uchiha to honestly believe him but he had to tell him something to avoid being followed. He would search every house in this village for a chance at the child. Should he find him he would take him by force and leave him in the care of his cronies. It would only be a matter of mere years before they boy would be stronger and more powerful, then and only then would he take the child's body as his own and become a redoubtable foe to all that dared to oppose him. There was the small matter of getting it past his brother, but he was sure that he would not be missed should he disappear for a morning or so……

A white-skinned foot touched the sandy ground and disappeared with a gust of wind into the night.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sasuke slept in his makeshift bed soundly. It had been many weeks since he had had such a workout, he was sure he was going to be sore in the morning. The moonlight shone in from the open doors of the balcony. It was deep into the night, but the moon still shone bright as she made her way back downwards, giving light to many as she also shielded them in the dark of her shadows.

The dark beams stretched across the room and encompassed the small child as he slept comfortable, the blanket slowly rising and falling with his breaths. All was still in the house…but that was soon to change. A shadow moved….a thin…smooth object wound its way up the beams of the balcony, wrapping itself around as it peered inside, its cold, forked tongue flickering in and out, smelling for its prey.

But this vermin did not search for a rat or a bird, but was after something, or rather someone imparticular. Slithering into the room, the white moonlight shone against its polished scales, its smooth belly gliding soundlessly across the wooden floor. It reached the edge of the bed and rose up, almost a sickening grin could be seen on the predators face when he found his special prey….Suddenly the unnatural creature began to transform, its shadow blocking out the light of the moon, but never woke the sleeping child. Leaning over, Orochimaru, gently as he possibly could, snaked his arms under the childs back and knees and picked him up….within the blink of an eye he was gone, now not even any longer on the mountainside.

The mattress was still warm where the child had laid. All that was left was an empty bed with slightly displaced blankets, and the now somewhat saddened light that shone in across the still room as if nothing had just happened at all.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

As the village slept soundly, the elder Uchiha brother held a blade in his hand. His straight raven hair overshadowed his eyes as his thumb checked the edge of the steel, feeling satisfied when it pricked his finger, drawing the precious life fluids. Taking a cloth he continued to clean the weapon, it was only a matter of time before he would use it to end his existence on this cruel earth himself…..

That's when he felt it. A surge of energy. He was sensitive to the signature of chakra, and now the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. No, there was no threat to him yet…but somewhere, somewhere nearby….two very powerful users of much chakra were either doing battle or proving their worth……

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Orochimaru avoiding hitting the earth with the brute force that was intended, doing a flip that allowed him to land on his feet…..he had been caught….

"Honestly Orochimaru, did you not stop to think that I do not know what goes on in my own village? Tsk Tsk….your old age is catching up to you." Pein now held Sasuke under his arm. The child had momentarily awoken but a simple touch to his forehead changed that.

"Pein, don't you see what you're holding there? He's one of the last ones left! Give me the child, and together we can raise him to be a most powerful tool!" The snake tried to hiss out a lie to his superior, anything to get the boy back in his control…..

"Or I can kill you now, just for trying to lie to me, and not only do the Akatsuki a favor but have his abilities all to myself. " The aged Sannin tried to make a move of attack but was cut short by Peins words. "Don't waste your chakra you old fool. We both know that I will best you in battle. Save yourself the trouble and pain and leave now while I still consider you worth sparing. Now GO!" He spoke to him as if he were a naughty pup, not an elder nor a powerful ninja.

Nearly having to bite his overlengthed tongue, the pale-skin did leave. But not to go run with his tail tucked between his legs, no. He would have the child, and revenge on Pein for getting in his way. But first he would have to formulate a plan and call on a superior force to put the plot into motion……

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Pein stood in the corner of the room as he thought about which course of action was he really going to take. His eyes never left the unconscious child that laid sprawled out in the center of the room….moments after the leader of the village walked across the long side of the room…closing the sliding door and blocking the light of the moon out just as some dark clouds came and blocked out her light.

Tears from the sky began to pour out onto the ground of Amegakure….as if they were weeping for the young Uchiha…it would seem that he was a coveted ragdoll being pulled apart by several different forces….they all wanting him for their own gain, but not one thinking of how it would effect his wellbeing…..


	9. Chapter 9

Sasuke opened his groggy eyes to see new surroundings….he did not recognize this furniture, these walls, the exquisite tatami floor….where was he? Where were the boys that he had become such good friends with?

"Good morning, young Uchiha" The voice from the desk at the far end of the room made him jump, he had not seen anyone there a moment before….had they just appeared out of thin air? Or had he just missed them in his sweep of the area…..

"Do not be alarmed little one…you are safe here.." Pein lied through his teeth, though he said it so convincingly, he probably could have made himself believe it. He stepped out from behind the barrier and slowly walked in the direction of the young boy. His figure was still black in the shadows, his eyes shone out vividly, the effect frightening the younger brother.

When he stepped into the light, Sasuke saw the many piercings in his face…somewhat impressed and in awe, another part was somewhat unsettled by it…It always seemed that the troublemakers around his home village of Kohona wore piercings such as those and in such high numbers…..

But this one…he seemed nice enough…he spoke softly to him..did not make any sudden movements as if to harm him..but the raven-haired child did not for a second forget that he had somehow been taken from the security of his newfound family's spare room to this strange place.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Orochimaru cursed under his breath….so, master Pein dared to get in the way of an aged and experienced Sannin hm? Of course, the snake-man could simply call upon his allies and have a quick ambush of the headquarters and take the vessel back by force, or even do it himself, taking the risk of being killed. But being the slithering vermin he was, he held one rule high above all others, and that was to never do something yourself that someone else could do for you.

Standing in front of the door into his partners inn room, his hand rested on the doorknob, already feeling Itachi's chakra begin to stir from inside as his unwelcome presence was already detected.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

One did not become the puppet leader of the Akatsuki by being an idiot. He verywell knew what his underling might attempt in order to gain back this precious gem. What mattered was seeing to it that he was prepared for any assault, his only real threat was that of the child's elder brother Itachi, the prodigy of the entire Uchiha clan. Orochimaru he could handle, whether through brute force or manipulation, it was the holder of the improved sharinghan that he had to devise a sinister plan to overcome.

At the moment, his primary plan was to gain the child's trust. Such a young child's body would prove relatively weak and futile to him as a body to possess, but if he could somehow see to it that the boy was raised and trained, then when he was older, betray his trust and stick a dagger in his back, so to say, then he would have the power he desired. Now to convince Itachi of his 'goodwill' towards his precious Otouto.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

The pale-skinned monster had a sick grin on his face as he followed Itachi's feverish dash through the city towards Peins' abode. Surprisingly the young man did not even question him, the moment he uttered the words that their leader was holding his little otouto hostage, intending to strip him of his soul for use of his body, the window was almost shattered in his rampage to the nearest possible exit.

His plan was simple. Let the powerful prodigy fight Pein, surely whoever was left standing would be too exhausted to defend themselves from one of his own assaults, with them both dead and out of the way, he might be on the run from the rest of the broken Akatsuki but he would have the child…his eyes…the kekkai genkai of one of the most powerful bloodlines in existence.

Itachi held throwing stars in his hand inside of his sleeve, ready for an immediate assault. He did not care who he had to murder tonight, he would get his little brother back.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

The leader of the criminal organization had made 'friends' with the child, giving him tea and riceballs to snack on. The child was still shy and hesitant around him, but time would change that. His concern was seeing to it that the boy felt a sense of security with him, if he could fool Itachi into believing this as well, and even making him turn on his 'partner' that damned snake demon, it would only be a matter of time before he got what he wanted.

"Tell me, child, do you remember anything that happened before you woke up here?" He smiled on the inside when the light-skinned Uchiha slowly shook his head, only taking small, cautious bites of his snack.

"I had might as well tell you, a very bad man was trying to take you away forever, I stepped in and stopped him, he wanted to hurt you…but I saved you…" His words came out like sweet honey, like sweetened venom, it dripped from his inner fangs.

"W-why?" His eyes were wide and his body shook lightly, this was such a disturbing night….where was his Aniki?

"Because he's a mean, evil man…..he wanted to take you away from your big brother…..I'm here to make sure that you two are…reunited." He almost could have laughed in glee as the child's face lit up.

"Nii-sama is coming!? Will he be here soon!" forget caution and being subtle, the skills that had been drilled into him since he was nothing more than a toddler, the mention of his elder brother made this man a sort of ally in his small, dark eyes.

The much-pierced man closed his eyes and smiled a little, he could sense both Akatsuki member's chakra signatures coming at them rapidly. Standing up he took the small boy's free hand and walked with him out of the room.

"He is almost here. Let us go meet him, in the front room."

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Raindrops hit the pebbled courtyard of Pein's home as sandaled feet ran across it. Itachi did not slow down for a second, he was becoming something that he had never been once in his life. Reckless.

Wood splinters shattered and went flying as a ball of blue energy flew through it, slicing through the door like paper. Both men ran in, dripping wet, breathing hard from their run. Itachi did not see his leader, standing in the center of the room. He did not see the lighting striking the ground nearby, making the glass and fixtures inside of the elegant home shake and rattle. He did not see Orochimaru putting his hands together to begin one of his famed jutsus.

Everything moved in slow motion as the only thing he saw was the small, raven-haired, dark-eyed boy who dropped the glass in his hand.

"SASUKE!" He moved towards him as the young Uchiha ran in his direction. Within milliseconds they were together, and neither of the brothers had any intention of letting go anytime soon.

"Itachi! This is the man who tried to take your brother from you! What are you waiting for!? Kill him!" the snake man hissed angrily. Pein's eyes met the Uchiha's.

"Before you make a mistake you will regret, may I advise you that it was the snake that stands behind you that I had to rescue him from. If not for me your brother may be out of Amegakure and halfway to his hideout. I took care of little Sasuke, he tried to kidnap him. Choose right now who you will side with."

Itachi felt the metal of his throwing stars in his hand…who to believe…whether either of them was telling the truth was doubtable but he could not take them both on…..the cold steel hit his fingers as he made his decision, and in the blink of an eye whirled around, taking the man by surprise, Sasuke still being held in one arm.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

The elder Uchiha held his otouto in his arms as he slept. It had taken so long for Sasuke to calm down, it had been the first time he had seen such a brutal, bloody battle. Even now he wiped off specks of still wet blood drops from his porcelain skin as his dark eyes were closed and resting.

The moonlight shone down on them, they sat outside on the rocks of the courtyard, the mess inside was too much for the little one to handle. He heard the footsteps coming up from behind.

"You made a wise decision Itachi." Pein cleaned off his blade with a cloth, tossing the bloody rag to the side. Inside his servants were cleaning up the body of the snake man, making sure that not a drop was left in existence afterwards.

He did not respond…all that was important to him was that little brother was safe and sound….for now…..


	10. Chapter 10

A young Uchiha man stood outside of the courtyard gates. His back against the bamboo wall as he stood as a lookout of sorts. Moments later his elder brother walked out, cleaning his katana off with a clean cloth. Without a word they mixed into the crowd, blending in with the commoners. The deed had been done. Did Pein honestly think that Itachi did now know about his plans to turn his brother into a mere empty shell for him to possess at will? Not on his watch. They had bided their time for over five years. Sasuke was at his prime now, and they both knew of their leader's plan to strike.

Itachi just ensured that it would not happen. It would be a day or so before the body would be found. Now they were on the run from the law, the Akatsuki, and anyone else who wanted to remove evil from the world or gain a profit. From this day forth they would be outcasts, exiled from mankind. And who is to say that this is any injustice to them? Sasuke himself had killed well over a hundred innocent women and children just following orders, his elder brother over a thousand or so had seen untainted blood spilled by his hand.

Walking toward the east gate, leaving the once grand village of Amegakure, they are allowed passage through by none other than the eldest of that small impoverished family. Maro had known from the start of their plans and approved them. He had seen too much suffering by the hands of their corrupted leader and was glad to see his reign of terror ended, even if it was by terrorists themselves. Their horses were given to them by another one of the siblings that lived in the shack on the mountainside; the foodstuffs in their packs was from the twins. Keeping a good friendship and relationship with the family had paid off for the Uchiha brothers, giving them a boost up in starting their new life on the run.

Only a half a mile away out of the gates, a female shriek entered their ears. In the distance, birds flew out of their perches on the limbs of the forest trees. Looks like the female servants had checked in on their master earlier than suspected. Without hesitation the beasts were whipped into a full-fledged run as they fled that evil place. Even through the wind and the rhythmic drumming of the horses' hooves against the dirt ground filled their bodies and flowed through their veins, above all else they could still hear the echoing screams as they rode off towards the mountains, leaving all either of them knew behind as the dust rose into the air.

~~~~~~THE END~~~~~~~~


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